Patient Stories Archives - Page 6 of 6 - Eggert Family Dentistry Blog

Crowns Done in a Day? Serena’s Story

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

When Serena needed a crown, her friends told her that she’d need to schedule two dentist appointments: one to place a temporary crown and another for the permanent crown. As a busy working mom who travels often, Serena couldn’t fit these appointments into her schedule.

The dentists at Eggert Family Dentistry were excited to help. We can prepare, design, and place permanent crowns in just two hours using CEREC, an innovative technology, to make these restorations. Dr. Elizabeth and Dr. Jeff are fully trained in CEREC and Dr. Furey plans to complete the training soon.

Serena’s CEREC restoration started with a digital scan of her tooth. Then, Dr. Elizabeth digitally designed the restoration using the 3D scan. It took just 15 minutes to mill Serena’s crown once the design was complete. Dr. Elizabeth tried the crown on Serena’s tooth to match color and glazing. Once it was complete, she cemented it in. Once the crown was in place, Serena couldn’t even tell which tooth had the crown.

Serena’s appointment lasted just over two hours. According to Serena, “The time went fast! I liked being able to catch up on email and read a book.” Serena and our other CEREC patients have been really impressed with the fit of their crowns and the short, effortless process of placing them.

Trauma to a Front Tooth – Sarah’s Story

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

How did this start?

Sarah came to us first as a new patient with her parents before Christmas. They were looking for a solution for her front teeth. Sarah experienced trauma at 13 years old and her left front tooth fell out at that time and was re-implanted. Sarah had a root canal done within a couple weeks of the trauma, which was the recommended course. As with many trauma cases, over the years Sarah has noticed that tooth and her other front teeth are starting to turn dark because of the trauma. When Sarah was seen in our office, her tooth was showing signs of significant external root resorption. The long term prognosis of the tooth is poor but at the time of her visit with us she was not experiencing any pain or swelling.

What did Sarah want?

Sarah is currently a senior in high school and wanted to improve the look of her front teeth for graduation and prom. Sarah and her parents weighed different options for restoring her front teeth and ultimately decided to keep her natural teeth for now since they aren’t causing her any pain. They chose a treatment option that will buy Sarah some time and improve her esthetics and also let her finish growing.

What was revealed during the comprehensive records process?

Some questions Sarah and her parents needed to decide were – how to address the uneven gum tissue levels? How to address the uneven tooth edges? How to improve the color on potentially dying teeth? Save the left front tooth for now or not? How long would they allow treatment to take? What was their budget at this time?

What was involved?

To help Sarah and her parents answer some of those questions, Dr. Elizabeth designed different blueprints out of plastic to try directly in Sarah’s mouth to help Sarah and her parents see the results of some of the different treatment options available.

In the end, Sarah decided to split the difference on the length of her teeth. She decided not to change her gum tissue levels at this time. She wanted to keep the left front tooth for now. And, she wanted to do as much as we could to improve the color with composite filling material. We all decided to add composite veneers to three of her front teeth and to bleach her remaining teeth for a cost effective way to improve the esthetics for a few years.

What does Sarah think?

Sarah and her parents were thrilled with the results! It was a low cost way to keep her smiling through her graduation and into the future! Sarah 4

How a Smile Impacts Confidence – Richard’s Story

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

How did this start?

Richard came to us first as a new patient last winter needing comprehensive care and a restorative plan to fix teeth that were breaking down. At the time of his first exam, Richard had many teeth throughout his mouth that had lost fillings, fractured or cracked and he knew things were starting to break down. Dr. Elizabeth also noted a decent amount of decay contributing to the breakdown and we recommended Richard go through our records process so that she could delve deeper into underlying causes behind his lost fillings, cracked, and broken teeth.

What did Richard want?

What did Richard want? Richard had noticed his teeth were starting to break down. He was losing fillings and his teeth were breaking. Prior to seeing Dr. Elizabeth, Richard would “patch” his teeth when things were broken, but he wanted to take a more comprehensive approach to prevent further damage. He wanted to have his teeth healthy again. Specifically, Richard wanted his teeth to function better for him long into the future. He had many broken teeth, decayed teeth, and wanted to know what he should do.

What was revealed during the records process?

Dr. Elizabeth used models, photos, and x-rays of Richard’s teeth along with our thorough muscle and joint evaluation results to present Richard with the current health of his teeth, gums, and the function of his jaw and muscles. The details of the records process revealed that in addition to the decay, the position of Richard’s teeth caused him to bite down unevenly. This was accelerating the breakdown of his teeth. This deterioration was negatively impacting both the esthetics and function of his teeth. It was hard to get Richard even to smile. Richard needed a full mouth reconstruction to rebuild what had broken down and bring his teeth back to a healthier state.

What does Richard think?

“I think the process is amazing. You guys have been the most impressive part about this process – making something that isn’t pleasant a fun thing to do. I would most certainly recommend Dr. Elizabeth and her team if someone I knew was considering getting this done.”

Look at how Richard smiles more easily now. It is amazing how a smile can change your confidence!

A KöR Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System Success Story

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Whiter teeth can make a profound change in your appearance, your confidence, and your life!

The KöR Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System whitens teeth dramatically, and is considered to be the most reliable and effective bleaching system. It works by restoring your teeth’s ability to absorb oxygen. The oxygen from the whitening gel is absorbed deeply into the tooth, dissolving stain molecules and changing how the tooth reflects light. KöR can often lighten teeth sixteen shades or more.

Have you tried other bleaching system and are you cautious about pain? Look no further. In most cases, the KöR Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System produces low, to no, sensitivity. Typically, most patients have no discomfort at all!

Marianne is our latest KöR Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System success story. Marianne has a vibrant personality and wanted dazzling teeth to reflect her zest for life. Through the very simple KöR Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System process, Marianne went from:

to:

The process is easy:

First, we’ll examine and take impressions of your teeth
Your bleaching trays are fabricated directly by KöR
When your trays are ready, we apply a conditioning formula to your teeth in-office
You then leave our office with an “At Home Kit:” your trays, KöR bleaching gel, and desensitizer
You will use your trays nightly until we love your new shade
The best news is that with your custom maintenance program, you can permanently keep your pearly white smile

Whether your teeth are dull from coffee, tea, red wine, or EVEN tetracycline staining, the KöR Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System is right for you. This process is perfect for ages 14 and older, and is entirely safe for your teeth and gums. Unlike so many other ill-fitting bleaching systems, the trays used in this process are thin and perfectly form-fitting. You’ll even forget they’re in your mouth. Bleach is sealed inside the tray, preventing gel from leaking into your mouth.

So, if you’re looking for a beautiful, healthy, and natural looking smile, Eggert Family Dentistry can help. Give us a call today and start moving toward a brighter looking tomorrow! 651-482-8412

Lia’s Story

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

“Smile and the world will smile with you.”

Lia’s Story

A congenitally missing tooth is one of the most common dental developmental abnormalities. In fact, roughly 20% of adults have at least one tooth that never developed.

Why is that number so high? Well, we’ve all hear of that person who didn’t develop all, if any, wisdom teeth. If you take wisdom teeth out of the picture, the percentage of adults with congenitally missing teeth drops to only 5%. Other permanent teeth we see missing are second premolars, upper lateral incisors, and lower central incisors.

A wisdom tooth that never grew in is a good thing – one less tooth to remove! However, being a child with a missing front tooth is quite a different story. Teenage years are often difficult enough without having to worry about appearance. With the emotional roller coaster of being a teen, we need to give our children any excuse to smile!

This month’s Case of the Month features Lia. Lia is a beautiful 16-year-old patient of ours who never developed one of her lateral incisors. Her goal is to smile big… and with confidence.

Typically, implants are the treatment of choice to replace a missing tooth. However, the golden rule for teenagers is to proceed with implant placement once skeletal growth is complete. Early implant placement, at a time of continuing growth, can lead to unaesthetic results.

In Lia’s case, we chose to use a resin composite bonding material to create a beautiful smile that she can confidently wear until it’s time for an implant.

Don’t let missing teeth affect your confidence. Give us a call today to discuss treatment options. 651-482-8412

Splint and Occlusal Therapy – Jeff’s story

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

How did this start?

Jeff came to us as an established patient at one of his routine exams. He was experiencing increasing jaw pain and was having trouble eating. He remembered having jaw pain for the past five years, but things were getting noticeably worse. Jeff was also experiencing periods of lock jaw and knew he was clenching his teeth at night. Dr. Elizabeth noted some wear throughout his mouth and intense muscle discomfort during his muscle evaluation. Dr. Elizabeth recommended Jeff go through our records process so that she could delve deeper into the underlying causes of his pain.

What did Jeff want?

Jeff had noticed a lot more pain and wear in the past few years and wanted to have his mouth comfortable again. He also wanted to be able to eat without worry. Specifically, Jeff wanted his mouth to function better. He was also experiencing some ringing in ears and hearing changes that he was hoping to have addressed during the process.

What was revealed during the records process?

Dr. Elizabeth used models, photos, and x-rays of Jeff’s teeth along with our thorough muscle and joint evaluation results to present Jeff with the current status of his teeth, gums, and the function of his jaw and muscles. The details of the records process revealed that the position of Jeff’s teeth were causing multiple interferences. This means he was biting down unevenly causing the breakdown of his teeth as well as the jaw pain. It was recommended that Jeff begin splint therapy.

What was involved?

The purpose of his splint therapy was to change the position of Jeff’s jaw to a relaxed muscle position. In Jeff’s case, we also discussed how if we adjusted the teeth to fit together at the relaxed jaw position, he should be much more stable overall and long-term. Dr. Elizabeth fitted Jeff with an anterior deprogrammer to wear all of the time to create the best possible function between the natural position of his jaw, muscles, and his teeth as they worked with one another. As soon as Jeff’s muscles reached a comfortable and relaxed position, Dr. Elizabeth created a solid new bite for Jeff with equilibration. Dr. Elizabeth adjusted the alignment of the upper and lower teeth and altered the chewing surfaces of some of the teeth to remove the painful interferences. This created harmony among Jeff’s jaw joints, muscles, and teeth as the joints and muscles were placed in a relaxed position and the teeth now come together at the same time. We finally designed a splint for Jeff to wear while he sleeps to keep his teeth, jaw, and muscles in this new comfortable position.

What does Jeff think?

“I wanted to get rid of the pain and the Records Process helped me to understand what was going on. The process was easy and simple. I’m not having pain anymore! I’m not nervous to eat anymore! I used to get excruciating pain with certain bites. This has made me a lot happier for sure. I would highly recommend the procedure!”

The Importance of Records – Tom’s Story

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

How did this start?

Tom came to us first as a new patient last summer with a toothache after being referred by co-workers. At the time of his first exam, Tom had many teeth throughout his mouth that had fractured or cracked and he knew things were really broken down. Dr. Elizabeth noted excessive wear throughout his mouth and mild muscle discomfort during the muscle evaluation. Even with our thorough, comprehensive new patient exam, Dr. Elizabeth recommended Tom go through our records process so that she could delve deeper into underlying causes behind his cracking, breaking, and sensitive teeth.

What did Tom want?

Tom had noticed a lot more wear in the last decade and wanted to have them healthy again. He also wanted better looking teeth. He was worried since they looked unhealthy now, what would they look like in 20 years? Specifically, Tom wanted his teeth whiter and more even and wanted things to function better. He had many broken teeth, missing teeth, and wanted a comprehensive plan for restoring his teeth. He was also experiencing some chronic ear/sinus congestion, ringing in ears, and nerve issues in his face that he was hoping to have addressed during the process.

What was revealed during the records process?

Dr. Elizabeth used models, photos, and x-rays of Tom’s teeth along with our thorough muscle and joint evaluation results to present Tom with the current health of his teeth, gums, and the function of his jaw and muscles. The details of the records process revealed that the position of Tom’s teeth caused multiple interferences, so he was biting down unevenly causing the breakdown of his teeth. This deterioration was negatively impacting both the esthetics and function of his teeth. Tom needed a full mouth reconstruction to rebuild what had broken down.

What was involved?

Tom was interested in phasing his treatment to lessen the financial burden. We were able to work with Tom and designed the phased treatment to keep Tom’s teeth, gums, and the function of his jaw and muscles healthy and happy during the process. Dr. Elizabeth worked with a local lab and together designed a blueprint of Tom’s new teeth out of wax. This blueprint is called a laboratory wax-up and it provided the ability for Dr. Elizabeth to create Tom’s new smile.

Tom then spent a day and a half with us while Dr. Elizabeth prepared his front teeth for new crowns and veneers and his back teeth for long-term temporary crowns to get Tom used to more esthetic front teeth and a healthy bite in the back. We finally designed a splint for Tom to wear while he sleeps to protect his new smile from clenching, grinding and his very strong muscles.

What does Tom think?

“Before having it done, I thought it would be a much longer process, more like a year. It went a lot easier than expected. There was not much pain involved and it was helpful to have all of the options. Everything was clear. I’m glad I had it done now and didn’t wait. I think my life will change. I am more confident with my new smile. I would strongly recommend Dr. Elizabeth to others considering getting this done. I don’t know that people make the connection between function and cosmetics, but I sure learned a lot about how things fit together and I love my new smile!”